Jefferson Scholars undergo a rigorous multi-stage selection process. Candidates must first be nominated by their high schools for their demonstrated excellence and exceptional potential in the areas of leadership, scholarship and citizenship. They are then interviewed by one of 57 Jefferson Scholars Regional Selection Committees. If selected as a regional finalist, they are invited to come to Charlottesville to participate in the last stage of the competition, engaging in a series of activities, including essay and mathematics examinations, seminars led by University faculty members, as well as a final round of interviews conducted by U.Va. alumni, faculty and administrators.

This year approximately 1,500 students were nominated by their high schools. Additional finalists were selected by U.Va.’s Office of Undergraduate Admission, which reviews the applications of all students. A total of 115 finalists from 32 states and seven foreign countries made their way to Charlottesville to participate in the 33rd annual Jefferson Scholars Selection Weekend.

The 33 Jefferson Scholars selected this year come from 16 different states and join a community of 84 current second-, third- and fourth-year scholars, who are active and visible leaders at the University. Among the current scholars is the chair of U.Va.’s Honor Committee, the student representative to the Board of Visitors, the editor-in-chief of The Cavalier Daily, members of the Raven Society and University Judiciary Committee, as well as leaders for student organizations like One in Four, which provides peer education on dealing with and preventing sexual assault.

“Jefferson Scholars are motivated to lead not out of selfish ambition, but because of a genuine desire to make the world a better place,” Jimmy Wright, president of the Jefferson Scholars Foundation, said. “This concept of selfless service and servant leadership has defined the Jefferson Scholars community for 33 years and I am eager to see how this particular class of scholars puts its own unique stamp on the University of Virginia.”

Since the program began in 1980, nearly 6,500 Jefferson Scholarship nominees have elected to attend U.Va., even without having received the Jefferson Scholarship.

“What many people don’t realize is this class of Jefferson Scholars will also be joining hundreds of other Jefferson Scholar nominees,” said Ben Skipper, director of the Jefferson Scholars Undergraduate Program. “Our selection process has proven to be an effective recruiting tool for the university – over the last five years, Jefferson Scholarship nominees have constituted approximately 8 to 9 percent of each entering class.”

The incoming Jefferson Scholars are:

Adam Thomas Antoszewski, Catonsville High School, Halethorpe, Md.

Abraham Graver Axler, Brooklyn Friends School, New York

Marc Isaac Blatt, The Landon School, Potomac, Md.

Kevin Quoc Khoa Cao, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Fairfax

John Eldridge Connolly, The Charter School of Wilmington, Wilmington, Del.

Claire Enderle Councill, Westchester Country Day School, High Point, N.C.